Colts run defense torn apart for second straight game
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WISH) — Last week, the Colts run defense was exploited. The Texans ran all over the Colts, picking up 213 yards on the ground.
This week, it was even worse.
The Packers eclipsed the mark that the Texans put up in the first half alone. By halftime, the Packers had 237 yards on the ground. They had 261 yards at the end of the game, and beat the Colts 16-10.
“That’s the league,” Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “When you got a problem, they’re going to keep testing you to see if you’ve fixed it. So, we played better in the second half but we got to play better at the beginning.”
“We got to get it fixed,” Colts head coach Shane Steichen said. “It starts with myself. I’m the head coach. We got to get in that meeting room on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and get it fixed. That’s the bottom line.”
The Packers were without their starting quarterback Jordan Love on Sunday, who is dealing with a knee injury. Malik Willis started instead.
Willis had not seen much success throwing the football in his short career. In his three starts heading into Sunday, he threw for less than 300 total yards and three interceptions.
The gameplan for the Packers was clear: run the football. That’s exactly what they did.
The Packers ran the ball 53 times and threw the ball just 14 times. They were efficient too, averaging 4.9 yards per carry.
Packers running back Josh Jacobs was dominant early and had sustained success throughout the game, picking up 151 yards on 32 carries.
“We knew they were going to be run oriented,” Moore II said. “We knew Malik Willis was going to make a play when his number was called. We were just unable to make a play out there. We just got to be better next time.”
The Colts have allowed a running back to get over 150 yards in both games this season, with Texans running back Joe Mixon getting 159 yards last week.
The Colts were not especially good defending the run last year either, ranking 24th in the league in total rushing yards allowed.
But, the Colts have invested heavily in their defensive line. Steichen still trusts the guys the Colts have.
“We got the guys in that locker room to do it,” Steichen said. “I have no doubt about that. I’m not losing any faith in that at all, but we got to get it fixed.”
Two Colts defensive lineman, DeForest Buckner and Laiatu Latu, left the game with injuries. Their status moving forward is unclear. Steichen did not have any updates on their injuries after the game.
The Colts will try to correct their run defense on Sunday, September 22 against the Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium at 1 p.m.
COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF
Tune in at 11 a.m. on WISH-TV on every Colts Sunday for Countdown to Kickoff with News 8 sports director Anthony Calhoun, former Colt Ken Dilger, Chuck Pagano, Colts Insider Kevin Bowen, and live hits from the stadium.
The only television postgame show airs right after the game with Anthony Calhoun and former Colt Marlin Jackson.
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